For years now, the Canadian Cirque du Soleil troupe has awed audiences
worldwide with their reinterpretations of classical circus acts. Originally,
the only place to see them was their trademark blue and yellow striped
tent as it traveled across the world. Shows began appearing in Las Vegas,
and more recently in Biloxi, Louisiana and Disneyworld. Journey of
Man is probably their most accessible act thus far, in the IMAX 3D
format. Journey of Man takes various acts from Quidam, Saltimbanco,Mystere (the show at the Las Vegas Treasure Island) and O
(the show at the Las Vegas Bellagio) and combines them into a semi-coherent
allegory.

The main weakness of all Cirque shows is the story. The sheer beauty
and intensity of all the performances overshadow any sort of story. Even
when it is clearly laid out, the story still really does not make any
sense. The same thing applies here. Peter Wagg, who also wrote the film
adaptation of Cirque's Alegria, wrote the story here, narrated
by Sir Ian McKellan (Apt Pupil, Gods and Monsters). Journey
of Man follows the life journey of a man. He travels around the world,
and learns various lessons about life, each time taught by observing a
Cirque act. Each act represents love, courage, fear, or some other aspect
of life.

For those who have not seen any of the shows, everything will be new.
For people who have, the acts are old, but interpreted in new ways. Director
Keith Melton (License to Thrill) chose (wisely) to film acts on
location all over the world. The Bahamas, the Redwoods, and Valley of
Fire State Park in Nevada are some of the beautiful locations used. The
synchronized swimmers from O are by far the most beautiful act
to appear on screen. At the Bellagio, the audience can only see the swimmers
above water. Here, the camera captures them from all angles, displaying
their grace and elegance in new ways. Other acts include the taiko drums,
the cube man (Mystere), the banquine acrobats, the statue act (Quidam),
and the bungee jumpers (Saltimbanco). Music by Beniot Jutras accompanies
all of the acts. Jutras weaves in themes from his scores from O, Quidam,
and Mystere, improving upon them for this theatrical release.
In particular, Reveil, the song that accompanies the statue act,
sounds even more wondrous with a full orchestra.

With so many good things going for it, Journey of Man still falters
on some points. Again, the story is vague, but thankfully secondary. Some
of the camera angles end are distracting and end up blocking some of the
more amazing shots, including many scenes in the statue act and the banquine.
Journey of Man is also far too short. All Cirque shows take viewers
to a different world, one of vast imagination and wonder, and people are
always reluctant to leave. By the time the movie is over, it seems like
only a matter of minutes passed. Moreover, Melton did not take full advantage
of the 3D capabilities. Granted, many of the acts need no improvement,
but the only 3D effects used pertain to the credits and some scenery in
the foreground. Of course, there is the typical flying scene through mountains
(this is an IMAX film after all). The good things in Journey of Man
far outweigh the bad, and it should serve as a great introduction to the
world of Cirque du Soleil.